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Door to door – Chinese new year in Guangzhou

One thing that’s really great about Chinese new year is the wishes for prosperity and luck posted on millions of doors throughout the city. I love the way these mass-produced glorified stickers take on a completely different character by the place and way they’re stuck up. Some are meticulously placed, held on by unseen glue or double-sided tape, while others are unceremoniously slapped on and held with sticky tape or even masking tape. Some are even permanently built into the doors as metal attachments that claim prosperity for the residents. I feel they all reflect the different characters that live just beyond the doors they’re placed on.

Which one reflects your character? Leave a comment to share!

(EDIT): Someone left a message about some of them being upside-down. Actually they are all posted as they were shot. The reason some of them seem to be upside-down is due to a Chinese tradition. The phrase “happiness is upside down” (福倒了 fú dào le) is pronounced the same as “happiness has arrived” (福到了 fú dào le). The Chinese are big on things that have the same sound to give meaning or bring luck. This is why many of the posters you see below also have fish, as the word fish sounds the same as the word for abundance. Locals in Guangzhou also like to buy lettuce, spring onions and Chinese garlic chives potted together, as their names in Chinese sound like “make money”, “raise an intelligent kid” and “live a long life” respectively.

On the other hand, it’s not good to give a clock as a gift, as it sounds like the word for funeral. Also, couples shouldn’t share a pear between themselves, as the phrase “split a pear” sounds like “break up” (fen li). Actually, in English it also sounds a little like it (split a pair)!

There’s actually two right ways up. Before the new year it should be the “right” way up, and after new year, it’s turned upside down (these were all taken on Lunar new years’ day). In Chinese, “upside down prosperity” sounds almost the same as “prosperity has arrived” when spoken, thus the tradition.